a face illumined-第24章

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〃I　will　not　dispute　that　statement；〃　replied　Miss　Burton；　with　a

laugh；　〃indeed；　I'm　inclined　to　think　they　are　very　human。〃



〃Humane；　you　mean；〃　interposed　Stanton。　　〃Yes；　I　often　wonder　at

our　patient　endurance。〃



〃Which　shall　be　taxed　no　longer　to…night　by　me。　　Good…evening；　Miss

Mayhew。　　Good…evening；　patient　martyrs。〃



〃Humane；　indeed！〃　said　Stanton。　　〃Are　you　that　way　inclined；　Van？〃



〃I　have　no　occasion　to　be　otherwise。〃



〃Well；　I　feel　savage　enough　to　scalp　some　one。〃



〃So　I　should　judge；〃　remarked　Ida。



〃Perhaps　then；　as　my　mood　contrasts　somewhat　favorably　with　your

cousin's；　you　will　venture　to　walk　with　me　for　awhile？〃　said　Van

Berg。



〃Indeed；　sir；〃　she　replied；　taking　his　arm；　〃there　are　times　when

any　change　is　a　relief。〃



〃I　cannot　be　very　greatly　elated　over　that　view　of　the　case；

certainly；〃　remarked　Van　Berg；　with　a　laugh。



She　did　not　reply　at　once；　but　after　a　moment　said：　　〃I　suppose

you　regard　me　as　a　hopeless　case　at　best。〃



〃what　suggests　that　thought　to　you；　Miss　Mayhew？〃



〃You　are　not　so　dull　as　to　need　to　ask　that　question；　and　you　only

ask　it　to　draw　me　out。　　For　one　thing；　you　probably　think　that

I　instigated　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Chints　to　act　as　they　did。　　This　is　not

true。〃



〃I'm　very　glad　to　hear　it。〃



〃I'm　no　more　to　blame　than　Mr。　Burleigh　was。　　He　knew　about　it　as

well　as　I　did；　but　Mrs。　Chints　was　bound　to　carry　out　her　project。〃



〃Will　you　permit　a　suggestion？〃



〃I　suppose　you　wish　to　insinuate　that　I　acted　like　a　heathen；

instead　of　saying　that　I　am　one　plainly；　as　does　Cousin　Ik？〃



〃I　think　you　acted　a　little　thoughtlessly。　　If　Miss　Burton　had　been

in　your　place；　she　would　have　tried　to　prevent　the　disagreeable

scene。〃



〃Oh；　certainly！　she　is　perfect。〃



〃No；　she　is　kind。〃



〃Would　it　be　possible　to　speak　upon　some　agreeable　subject；　Mr。

Van　Berg？　　I　have　had　enough　mortifications　for　one　day。〃



He　was　puzzled。　　What　topic　could　he　introduce　that　would　interest

this　spoiled　and　petulant　beauty。



He　touched　on　art；　but　she　was　only　artful　in　her　small　way；　and

could　not　follow　him。　　He　tried　literature；　and　here　they　had　even

less　in　common。　　He　would　not　and　indeed　could　not　read　the　thin

society　novels　which　reflected　modes　of　life　as　trivial　as　her

own；　and　his　books　might　have　been　written　in　another　language；

so　slight　was　her　acquaintance　with　them。　　The　various　political；

social；　or　scientific　questions　of　the　day　had　never　puzzled　her

brain。　　Van　Berg　cautiously　felt　his　way　towards　his　companion's

knowledge　of　two　or　three　of　the　most　popular　of　them。　　Her　answers；

however；　were　so　superficial　and　irrelevant；　and　also　so　evidently

embarrassed；　that　he　saw　his　only　resources　to　be　society　chit…chat；

gossip　about　mutual　acquaintances；　the　latest　modes；　the　attractions

of　pleasure　resorts　in　the　city；　and　of　summer　resorts　in　the　country。

But　he　gave　his　mind　to　these　unwonted　themes；　and　labored　hard　to

be　entertaining；　for　now　that　he　had　gained　the　vantage…ground　he

sought；　he　was　determined　to　discover　whether　there　was　a　sleeping

mind　or　a　vacuum　behind　Miss　Mayhew's　shapely　forehead。　　Granting

that　there　was　a　womanly　intelligence　there；　as　yet　unquickened；

he　was　not　so　irrational　as　to　imagine　he　could　jostle　it　into

illumining　activity　in　one　short　hour；　or　day；　or　week。　　But　it

seemed　to　him　that　if　any　mind　existed　worth　the　name；　it　would

give　such　encouraging　signs　of　life　before　many　days　passed　as

would　promise　success　of　his　experiment。　　He　felt　that　his　first

aim　must　be　to　establish　an　intimacy　that　would　permit　as　full

and　frank　an　exchange　of　thought　as　was　possible　between　people　so

dissimilar。



While　he　tried　to　bring　himself　down　to　the　littleness　of　her　daily

life；　he　determined　to　show　his　disapproval　of　every　phrase　of　its

meanness　as　far　as　he　could　without　offending　her。　　He　had　made　her

feel　that　he　condemned　her　course　towards　Miss　Burton　that　evening；

and　he　had　meant　to　do　so。



She　resented　this　disapproval；　and　at　the　same　time　respected　him

for　it。　　Indeed　he　puzzled　her。　　He　evidently　sought　and　wished

for　her　society；　and　yet　as　they　walked　back　and　forth；　even　though

she　did　not　look　at　him　when　the　light　gave　her　the　opportunity

to　do　so；　she　felt　intuitively　that　he　did　not　enjoy　her　company。

She　saw　that　he　was　laboring　hard　to　make　himself　agreeable；　but

his　small　talk　had　not　the　familiar　flippancy　and　fluency　of　one

speaking　in　his　native　tongue；　nor　was　his　manner　that　of　one　who；

infatuated　with　her　beauty；　had　thrown　aside　all　other　considerations。



She　felt　that　the　man　at　her　side　measured　her；　and　understood　her

littleness　thoroughly。



And　she　herself　had　a　growing　consciousness　of　insignificance　that

was　as　painful　as　it　was　novel。　　Adding　to　all　the　humiliations

of　this　day　here　was　a　man；　not　so　very　much　older　than　herself；

trying　to　come　down　to　her　level；　as　he　would　accommodate　his

language　to　a　child。　　No　labored　argument　could　have　revealed　her

ignorance　to　her　so　clearly；　as　her　conscious　inability　to　follow

him　into　his　ordinary　range　of　thought。　　Unwittingly　he　had　demonstrated

his　superiority　in　a　way　that　she　could　not　deny；　however　much　she

might　be　inclined　to　resent　it。　　And　yet　he　treated　her　with　a　sort

of　respect；　and　occasionally　she　saw　that　he　bent　his　eyes　upon

her　face　as　if　in　search　of　something。



After　a　transient　effort　to　ignore　everything　and　talk　in　her　usual

superficial　manner；　she　became　more　and　more　silent　and　oppressed；

and；　at　last　said；　somewhat　abruptly：



〃Mr。　Van　Berg；　I　am　weary；　and　I　imagine　you　are　too。　　I　think　I

will　say　good…night。〃



〃I　scarcely　wonder　that　you　are　fatigued。　　You　have　had　a　trying

day。〃



〃It　has　been　a　horrid　day；〃　she　said；　emphatically。



〃It　might　have　ended　much　worse；　nevertheless。〃



〃Possibly；〃　she　admitted　with　a　shrug。



〃You　have　more　reason　to　congratulate　yourself　than　you　imagine；

Miss　Mayhew。　　Even　that　disagreeable　souvenir　of　our　morning　peril；

your　lameness；　has　disappeared；　and　you　might　have　been　maimed　for

life。〃



〃My　lameness；　like　my　courage；　was　chiefly　a　fraud　to　begin　with；

and　soon　disappeared；　but　I　have　other　souvenirs　of　that　occasion

that　I　cannot　get　rid　of　so　easily。〃



〃If　I　am　one　of　them；　you　are　right；　Miss　Mayhew；　I　shall　hold　you

to　our　agreement　this　morning。　　You　put　me　on　my　good　behaviorhave

I　not　behaved　well？〃



〃Yes；　better　than　I　have。　　I　was　not　referring　to　you　personally；

but　to　certain　memories。〃



〃We　agreed　to　let　by…gones　be　by…gones。〃



〃But　others　are　not　parties　to　this　agreement；　and　every　reference

to　the　affair　is　odious　to　me。〃



〃I　shall　make　no　further　reference　to　it；　and　you　must　be　fair

enough　not　to　punish　me　for　the　acts　of　others。〃



〃You　also　despise　me　in　your　heart　of　my　course　towards　Miss　Burton

this　evening。〃



〃If　I　despised　you　would　I　have　sought　your　society　this　evening？〃



〃I　do　not　know。　　I　don't　understand　you；　if　you　will　permit　my

bluntness。〃



〃Possibly　you　don't　understand　yourself；　Miss　Mayhew。〃



〃I　understand　that　I　have　had　a　miserable　day；　and　I　hope　I　may

never　see　another　like　it。　　Good…night；　sir。〃











Chapter　XIII。　　Nature's　Broken　Promise。









Van　Berg　had　been　left　to　himself　but　a　little　time　before　Stanton

and　Mr。　Burleigh　came　out　upon　the　piazza；　and　the　three　gentlemen

sat　down　for　a　quiet　chat。



〃Well；〃　remarked　mine　host；　with　a　sigh　of　relief　such　as　a　pilot

might　heave　after　taking　his　ship　round　a　perilous　point；　〃well；

thanks　to　Miss　Burton's　good　sense；　the　affair　has　ended　without　any

trouble。　　In　a　house　like　this；　'Satan　is　finding　mischief　still'

whenever　my　back　is　turned；　and　sometimes　he　threatens　to　get　up

a　row　right　under　my　nose；　as　in　this　instance。　　I　was　a　'blarsted

fool；'　as　our　English　friends　have　it；　not　to　k